Where Is the Next Hot Spot for Tech Jobs?
Tech workers flock to Greater Fort Lauderdale for its abundant sunshine and job opportunities.
With a lower cost of living, an unmatched quality of life and ease of access to a great job or a day at the beach, Greater Fort Lauderdale is an attractive option for both tech companies and tech workers. So if you’re looking to launch or expand your career, the outlook is sunny for tech jobs in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
“We’ve got a thriving tech ecosystem,” says Randee Deich, TechGateway facilitator and director of talent attraction and education at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. “South Florida has a rich tech history and a thriving culture of innovation.”
The South Florida TechGateway is a public-private partnership to grow, attract and retain technology business, capital and talent. TechGateway invites tech workers to “work in the cloud, live in the sun.”
Drawing Workers to Fort Lauderdale
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, Broward County’s lead public-private partnership for economic development, has launched an advertising campaign, “Fort Lauderdale to the Rescue.”
The campaign invites those who have been laid off from tech jobs to consider Greater Fort Lauderdale and South Florida for their next location. The campaign includes ads on full-size billboards and mini billboards on rideshare vehicles, buses, bus shelters and street-level panels.
“We welcome innovative tech professionals to consider Greater Fort Lauderdale, where there are exciting opportunities for a new career on a new coast,” says Colin Brown, chairman of JM Family Enterprises Inc. and chair of the Alliance’s CEO Council, which funds the organization’s national marketing.
Tech Jobs in Fort Lauderdale
An estimated 116,000 information and communications technology industry workers are employed in the region. But, with more than 10,000 available positions in the tech industry, the welcome mat is out.
“We are excited about the possibilities and buzz this campaign will create funded through the investment of the CEO Council and conceptualized by our team, together with the stellar team at Zimmerman Advertising,” says Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.
Greater Fort Lauderdale has received accolades like being ranked in the top five on CompTIA’s Cyberstates 2022 for diversity, net tech employment, job gain and tech business establishments growth. West Broward was ranked No. 1 in Florida for venture capital-backed jobs, and the region has also been recognized as one of tech’s rising star metro areas.
Tech companies with a significant presence in Fort Lauderdale include Hotwire Communications, Citrix, SiriusXM, UKG, Magic Leap, MDLIVE, Future Tech Enterprise Inc. and Xendoo.
Fort Lauderdale is committed to innovation. The region has a number of incubators and accelerators that help startups get off the ground. These programs help tech companies develop new products and services, and they also help them to connect with investors and other resources.
Future Tech Chooses Fort Lauderdale
The region offers attractive qualities for tech workers. As the tech industry continues to grow, Greater Fort Lauderdale is poised to become a major tech hub in the years to come.
“Fort Lauderdale was always top of mind when it came to where and if we were going to relocate,” says Bob Venero, Future Tech president and CEO.
Future Tech is a global IT solutions provider and an IT partner-of-choice for Fortune 500 companies leading universities and hospitals. The company relocated its executive headquarters to the region in 2021.
“Fort Lauderdale embraces its businesses better than any other region in the country. This region helps us align our business objectives with other like-minded companies,” Venero says. “The Alliance does an amazing job of bringing leaders together to have great conversations about our business goals and challenges.”
Venero says access to talent is an asset of the region. “We’ve got good talent in the tech space and also in the administrative and operational space,” he says.
Quality of life also counts. “The fact that we have a city and a suburb in the same area is great,” Venero says. “We are in Las Olas. The city is six minutes away. That’s a great commute.”
Get to Know Greater Fort Lauderdale
Want to learn more about living and working in Fort Lauderdale, FL? Check out the latest edition of Livability Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
